1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to receptacles for hazardous waste and, more particularly, to a cover for a container for receiving antineoplastic or chemotherapy wastes generated by health care facilities.
2. Background Art
Antineoplastic or chemotherapy wastes are inherently toxic and present a significant risk of injury to people handling such wastes. A thorough description of the dangers of contact with chemotherapy wastes and recommendations for the proper handling of chemotherapy drugs and wastes are contained in OSHA Work-Practice Guidelines for Personnel Dealing with Cytotoxic (Antineoplastic) Drugs, 43 Am. J. Hosp. Phar. 1193 (May 1986).
The prior art has recognized the need to provide appropriate receptacles for confining chemotherapy waste for disposal. One problem the prior art has attempted to address is that of maintaining the receptacle lid with the receptacle to prevent its loss and to prevent it from being set down by a user and contaminating surrounding surfaces. One such receptacle is distributed under the trademark WINFIELD. It consists of an essentially rectangular box-like structure having an annular orifice at the top. A cap is provided which snap fits over the annular opening. The cap is attached to the receptacle by a cord or tie to keep the lid with the receptacle when it is not disposed over the orifice. A similar structure for maintaining a lid with a waste receptacle is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,494,652 to Nelson et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,520,926 to Nelson.
While these structures provide a device for keeping the lid with the receptacle, they do not fully address the problem of preventing chemotherapy waste from contaminating surrounding surfaces. Once the lid is removed from the receptacle and allowed to dangle therefrom, chemotherapy waste which may have splashed onto the receptacle lid may drip from the receptacle lid onto a surface upon which the chemotherapy waste receptacle rests, or the chemotherapy waste may drip down the side of the receptacle, creating an opportunity for those handling the receptacles to contact chemotherapy waste residue. In addition, the lids for these receptacles must be tied to the receptacle, an additional manufacturing step increasing the cost of the receptacles.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,552,280 to Owens et al. discloses a structure for maintaining a lid on a cover for a hazardous waste receptacle. The lid has a pair of diverging wings which slidably engage a pair of rails on the cover for blocking an orifice in the cover. The orifice is accessed by pulling the lid from the orifice and sliding the diverging wings along the rails. While this structure addresses the problem of the chemotherapy waste container lid permitting chemotherapy waste to drip into the surrounding environment or down the sides of the receptacle from the lid, it is a complicated and expensive structure to manufacture.